Bluff Titler vs. Ulead Cool 3D

djcc wrote on 10/17/2005, 8:01 PM

I've been playing around with Bluff for a few days and downloaded Ulead Cool 3D (NOT the production studio version - I wanted to keep the price comparison comparable).

Bluff was very intuitive - lacked certain things I thought would be there, but I fired off some neat titles in a short amount of time.

I get the feeling that Cool 3-D could be more powerful, but so far, the application seems extremely cumbersome. Also seems that Bluff has far more default features, textures, etc than Cool-3D.

Before I jump to any conclusions, I thought I would solicit opinions comparing the 2 products, and also ask if anyone has better samples, tutorials, etc, for Cool 3D.

So, Please chime in if you can.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

FrigidNDEditing wrote on 10/17/2005, 11:28 PM

I tinkered with both, but for what I do Bluff was better overall (not because of quality or potential - that's for sure). It's fast and so much of my stuff has to be just that. Anyway - I've not spent massive amounts of time in either, but the major diff between the two is this IMHO:

Bluff - Fast, intuitive, Very Easy to get it done now, short learning curve, sacrifice power and quality.
Cool 3D - Better quality, more power, sacrifice ease of use (at least intially), tougher learning curve, More time required for getting the job done.

Those are my .02 - I'm by no means a master these programs.

Dave

Spot|DSE wrote on 10/17/2005, 11:51 PM

There are a buncha Cool 3D projects and tutorials here

Bluff is far more intuitive, IMO, but Cool 3D is more powerful. Rendertimes are horrendous.

djcc wrote on 10/18/2005, 8:41 AM

Thanks for the input, link to samples, etc.

Having only scratched the surface, I have come to at least one conclusion: The basic version of Cool 3D is rather pointless. Very limited textures, animations, etc, and an interface that makes any precision adjustments difficult. All that seems to change in the "Production Studio" version, which appears to be the version used for generating most examples, tutorials, etc.

Time to download that version & install it for a further test drive. Sure is fun geeking out with this kind of stuff, but in the end, I guess it will be a cost vs. benefit from a simple hobby perspective.

The final curiosity seems to be the age of the application - looks like it has not been updated in several years. A little update could go a long way to making the program easier & faster to use.

Again, thanks for the input & suggestions.

TeetimeNC wrote on 10/19/2005, 5:32 AM

I've used Cool 3D Production Studio, but not Bluff Titler. It is a shame Ulead hasn't updated C3d - it has great potential, but needs a more modern interface that leverages Windows standards. My greatest frustrations:
1. It is dog-slow rendering.
2. It is hard to find much help with it online (Ulead forum pretty useless).
3. I haven't had much luck importing 3d models into C3d.

That said, I have created some pretty interesting 3d clips that I have used in Vegase projects. My two best:

1. I built a 3d round thermometer from a photograph, with the needle oscillating around 100 degrees. I swooshed this in to introduce a video about a hot august cookout.
2. I created a spherical Christmas ornament and wrapped it with a matrix of photos, one of which turns to video as the sphere spins to the foreground.

-jerry

djcc wrote on 10/19/2005, 8:07 AM

No doubt C3D can do some neat stuff - I just tried to render something last night. The time it took was ridiculous. I think my wristwatch could have rendered faster!

The fact they have not released an update in at least 4 years makes me wonder if they have stopped development completely. I have to take a break from it for a few days and make some headway on my bathroom remodeling, but will check out the Production Studio version. So far, however, I am leaning toward the simpler (and cheaper) solution - Bluff Titler. Animating other objects would be great though, but Bluff is purely titles.

apit34356 wrote on 10/19/2005, 11:53 AM

Blufftitler is the winner, concerning time, ease of use and cost of product. Dave and Spot summed it well. If cost of product is not a concern, there are some great titling programs. But I think Blufftitler is a great app for starting low cost IDF projects, local community cable programs, "low cost" commercials, training/classroom videos for college classes, etc...

djcc wrote on 10/19/2005, 5:27 PM

I experimented a bit more with Bluff today (while taking a break from the bathroom remodeling!)

Previously, I tried the "double" setting for project size, selecting DVD, then doubling it. I initially received strange results - the project was not actually double in size, and the render kept picking up my Windows task bar.

I then resized my display attributes to 1600 x 1200, well in excess of the 1440 x 960 double NTSC DVD resolution. I could not effectively work at this resolution - things were just too slow with my video card trying to refresh the screen at this resolution. Instead, I worked at DVD rez, and only switched to that resolution for final rendering. I used the "scale down to half size using bilinera interpolation" option. Results were remarkably better than just leaving it at 720 x 480.

To address some comments earler regarding the Nvidia settings - I did not notice a difference whether the antialias setting were sent to "program controlled" or if they were manually set as high as possible. Again, the biggest performance issue was setting my display rez to 1600 x 1200.

TeetimeNC wrote on 10/20/2005, 3:57 AM

I think the key decision point between the two is do you need full 3d objects. For just titles, C3d is overkill.

-jerry

FrigidNDEditing wrote on 10/20/2005, 7:44 AM

I think TeeTime is right. - for titles only, and hobby only at that, C3D is probably overkill. I'd go with BT in that case. Just my opinion though.

Dave

kcrosley wrote on 10/24/2005, 4:49 PM

An upcoming version of BluffTitler is going to add 3D model support, which will be super cool. It's something I've been waiting for for quite a while!

BluffTitler links:

http://www.blufftitler.us/ (download trial version or buy)
http://www.mediablitzed.com/ (tutorial and examples)

Best Regards,
Keith

mariauserinfo wrote on 10/24/2005, 8:24 PM

I choose Bluff Titler!!, it is better!!

djcc wrote on 10/25/2005, 8:44 AM

I have no self control - I broke down and bought Bluff Titler! If the only purpose it ultimately serves is to entertain myself, it will still be worth it! :o)